Words Before Pictures

Although the long-established pictures-before-words method of scripting described on pages 56-57 is considered difficult to beat for flexibility and sheer professional results every time, it is undoubtedly more time-consuming for both journalists and picture editors, and the pressures facing news people battling to overcome ‘impossible’ deadlines and/or the lack of facilities are such that any apparent short cut may be understandably seized upon and excused. Hence the popularity of an alternative process of compiling news items.

‘Wild-track’ commentary

In this method the complete commentary is written and recorded ‘wild’ on to a separate sound track before the pictures are edited. This can be done on location, in the studio or editing suite. No shot-listing is necessary. For very short routine items or segments of reports it can be fast and effective, but as a technique for lengthier or more considered pieces should be seen for what it is — strictly second-best and reserved for use only in emergencies. Unfortunately some reporters have never been introduced to the ‘classic’ way, while others are tempted to employ it as a blanket method for scripting all kinds of items, however unsuitable they may be.

Leave room for ‘sound-bites’

If there is no alternative but to use this process, every effort should be made to view the raw material, either in the field or in the editing suite before a commentary is written and recorded. For in this context it is the words which govern the content and duration of the pictures being used. An imaginative script including a few sensible generalities should allow a competent picture editor to choose more widely from the available raw material. Too specific a script will force him or her to stick only to the obvious shots, resulting often in a duller outcome than the original coverage deserves. When recording the track remember to make room for any ‘sound-bites’, while pauses for natural sound effects will also help lift quality. Above all, take care to record in neutral surroundings, away from any extraneous, ambient sound which the editor would have difficulty masking when assembling the final version.

Influence of new technology

The influence on script-writing of future newsroom computer systems has yet to be fully assessed, though it does not seem likely that a journalist’s ability to view raw or edited material on one side or through a ‘window’ on the screen of a desk-top editing terminal will necessarily encourage better writing standards. In a multi-skilled world where few if any specialist picture editors exist the journalists will probably be compiling their own visual material. At least, if they have also shot it themselves they might have a better idea of the content. And that can only be good for the final product.

 

SEQUENCE DURATION CUMULATIVE COMMENTARY
1 12 sec 12 sec The planners say no-one could have possibly forecast the growth in traffic volume over the past few years. But they agree the time has now come to adopt a new approach to road-building.
2 21 sec 33 sec Here in the grounds of a nine-hundred-year old estate less than two miles from one of Britain’s busiest motorways, the roads of the future are being planned. The government has invested more than fifteen million pounds in a computer which will calculate future trends from current traffic flow. The hope is that traffic jams will become things of the past.
3 25 sec 58 sec In the time of the Norman Conquest The Lodge belonged to a local baron who hunted boar across its extensive grounds. Probably the only sounds were those of laughter and merriment as the lords and ladies of the house feasted on chunks of roasted boar meat in the shade of the splendid oak which still dominates the front lawn. The irony isn’t lost on John Smith, who’s in charge of the project.
4 30 sec 1 min 28 sec ‘One thing we simply have to get right …’
5 20 sec 1 min 48 sec Installation work on the computer is still continuing, and the project proper won’t begin until test programs have been run. But there are signs that the experts will have no lack of information on which to base their future calculations. Traffic volume has already increased by almost one per cent in the few weeks since they have been here.
6 25 sec 2 min 13 sec ‘I think we should have camera four moved to give a better view of that bridge, Brian. What do you think …?’
7 10 sec 2 min 23 sec But what guarantee is there that all the expense and effort going into this new project will result in forecasting which will be any more accurate than in the past?
8 30 sec 2 min 53 sec ‘Well, of course there can be no guarantee. What I can say is …’
9 17 sec 3 min 10 sec On the evidence of the splendour in which he lived, it’s not hard to feel envious of the Baron. Nor of his successors who strive for a sensible solution to a problem of society’s own making. No-one will begrudge them their comfortable life-style if they find it.
10 30 sec 3 min 40 sec The sceptical motorist down in these traffic jams is unlikely to be convinced, however much money is poured into projects like this one. No-one pretends traffic forecasting is easy: the price of oil, the drive towards a pollution-free atmosphere and the volatile Middle East all add to the uncertainty and have an influence on the number of cars on our roads. What I do believe is that hunting wild boar from the saddle couldn’t have been much more tiring than driving home from the office along the crowded M180.

Words before pictures

A popular but second-best alternative technique for compiling television reports. A ‘wild’ commentary track is written and recorded and the pictures from the available raw material edited to match. Be sure to carry out the recording in a neutral environment or unwanted ambient sound may encroach on the sound track.

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